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home is a beautiful word

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A few weeks ago a bunch of us from hemma served up breakfast to more than 300 people at Our Place.  A few days later I went with my family to see a play about home and homelessness called “home is a beautiful word” based on interviews from over 500 people living in Victoria.  What struck me about both experiences was how they served to connect me with my broader circles of community. 

For most of us, our circles, our home and community, are primarily small — our immediate family and loved ones, our home, our workplace and neighbourhood.  When you stop and take a closer look at your circles of community you can see that they expand much further, even though we may not always feel the connection.  Our neighbourhood is apart of Victoria, which is part of the CRD, which is part of Vancouver Island, expanding ever outward.  But more than geographical attachments there lies an attachment with each and every person within our community.

We really only become aware of these deeper and broader attachments to people outside our smaller communities when we consciously connect in some real way through activity, ritual, or ceremony.  These precious opportunities — like serving breakfast to strangers — broadens the sense of connection with everyone in our community and ultimately feeds the soul.

When Aase and I created hemma, back in 2007, one of our primary desires was to create a place where people from all walks of life could come together and experience the spirit of caring, love, and community.  We wanted a place where everyone could experience a sense of home, in order to connect with self and others.  In this way healing self and community simultaneously.   Thanks to all of you who have participated in this experiment I would say that we have been able to achieve that goal!

Take the time this winter to reach out and broaden your connections with community.

Home is everywhere.

Michael